"It is fate!" he cried. "Fate, nothing less, my brave boy! How can I ever thank you!" "You don't have to thank me," returned Frank modestly. "But I shall," and the French colonel grasped the young soldier's hand tightly. He was still very weak and spoke with difficulty. "I am glad it was you, Sir," remarked the army boy. "It is fate, I tell you," murmured the colonel. "When I am well I shall tell you more. I have heard from Auvergne, and all about the De Latour estate, which is in the courts. You may have a fight to get your rights, but--I am your friend. I shall fight for you and your mother." "Then you think my mother's chances are good?" questioned Frank eagerly. "I am certain of it," was the colonel's low reply. Then he had to stop talking, by the doctor's orders. And what was done in the near future to recover the estate, and how Frank and his chum did their further duty as American soldiers, will be told in the next volume, to be entitled: "Army Boys in the French Trenches; Or, Hand to Hand Fights with the Enemy." When Frank came back to camp his friends hailed him as a veritable hero. "You're the goods!" cried Billy. "All wool and a yard wide!" came from Tom. "And American to the backbone, don't forget that!" added Bart. THE END